Results 4,881-4,900 of 11,744 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Together for Better is the new funding model that supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good. This was recommended by an Expert Group, adopted by Government, and has been widely welcomed by representative groups advocating for parents, children, the workforce and providers. Together for Better brings together three major programmes, the Early Childhood Care...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Little Library is an initiative under the First 5 Strategy. It is led by my Department, with the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) and the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) and is funded under Dormant Accounts Funding. Under the Little Library Initiative 2021, 4,500 early learning and childcare services, including childminders, were offered an opportunity to...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that as of Friday 3rd January, 2023, there were 208 children being cared for by Tusla, both beneficiaries of temporary protection and international protection applicants. In relation to the number of separated children in residential care, I can confirm that the total number of children is 81. There are 46 in special emergency accommodation arrangements, which are...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Special Rapporteur on Child Protection is a Government-appointed position, with a term of office of three years. The functions of the Rapporteur are to keep under review and to audit legal developments for the protection of children; to assess the impact, if any, litigation in national and international courts will have on child protection; to prepare a report annually and to examine,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Strategies (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Migrant Integration Strategy, which was launched in 2017 and concluded at the end of 2021, forms the central policy framework adopted by the Government to promote the integration of all migrants and their Irish-born children across ten areas of public policy. The Strategy aims to enhance diversity, inclusion and equity for migrants across all aspects of Irish society including the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Rights of the Child (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As Minister with responsibility for Children, I am committed to upholding their best interests in all situations. Ireland held the presidency of the Council of Europe last year. One of the priorities chosen for the Irish Presidency was “Hear our Voices”, which had a particular focus on youth engagement. As part of this, I was delighted to host a conference in October focussing...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Schemes (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The issue of mobility supports for people with disabilities is a key priority for me as Minister of State with responsibility for Disability. Action 104 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy, which concluded at the end of 2022, contained an important cross-Government action to review transport and mobility supports for people with disabilities and to advance proposals for the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Ukraine War (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: My Department is now accommodating in excess of 70,000 people, including both those fleeing the war in Ukraine and those seeking International Protection. We have contracted in excess of 42,000 beds to accommodate Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in more than 700 settings including hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation and certain other...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Flexible Work Practices (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 was included in the Government Legislative Programme for Autumn 2022 as priority legislation for drafting and publication in that session. The Bill has since passed all stages in Dáil Éireann and is currently before the Seanad at Committee Stage. The Bill includes provisions to transpose Article 9 of the EU Work Life...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: First 5, the whole-of-Government strategy for babies, young children and their families, recognises that the workforce is at the heart of high-quality Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC). The evidence suggests children achieve better outcomes when staff are well qualified. In line with commitments in First 5, in December 2021, I launched Nurturing Skills: The...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As the Deputy will be aware, Budget 2023 has introduced a major reform to the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) from January 2023, which will substantially improve the affordability of early learning and childcare for families. From 2 January, all families accessing registered early learning and childcare receive a minimum hourly NCS subsidy of €1.40. With the previous minimum hourly...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Assisted Decision-Making (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (the 2015 Act) is an important piece of legislation that represents significant legal reform. It changes the existing law on capacity from the status approach of the wardship system to a flexible functional approach, whereby capacity is assessed on an issue and time-specific basis. The Act will abolish the wards of court system for adults...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Deputy, the response to the ongoing migration crisis has entered an extremely difficult phase, with no apparent accommodation for international protection applicants (IPAs) at scale available into the short term to medium term. I can assure you that every effort is being made to address the current shortfall in accommodation. Since 1 December 2022 to 30 January 2023 over 1,700 additional...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Reports (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Government has approved the construction of 700 rapid build homes with the potential to house up to 2,800 individuals in family units. The rapid build homes will be constructed on state owned land. The OPW is leading the development of this accommodation in conjunction with my Department. The objective is to install 500 units by March/April 2023. All the sites will have roads,...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The health and wellbeing of all people who avail of accommodation provided by my Department is of the highest priority to me and my officials. There is no discrimination between the supports offered to international protection applicants (IPAs) and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) from Ukraine. There are material differences between the rights and entitlements of IPAs and BOTPs...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Department is aware of its obligations under the Recast Reception Conditions Directive (SI 230 of 2018), where it is legally required to provide accommodation to international protection applicants who seek it while their claim for international protection is being determined by the International Protection Office. Since the beginning of 2022, Ireland has accommodated more than 74,000...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Registration of Births (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Recommendation 17 of the report by the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection was that a State inquiry into illegal adoptions (broadly defined) should be established on a non-statutory basis. The question of creating an effective non-statutory inquiry is a sensitive, complex and challenging one. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges this and, in particular, notes the challenges associated with...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Abuse (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I wish to advise the Deputy that I wrote to St John Ambulance to seek information about the publication of the report on 12th December 2022. St John Ambulance replied on 23rd December and confirmed that they had received a completed report from Dr Shannon. The Commissioner of St John Ambulance stated that the organisation was committed to publishing the full report immediately after the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: International Protection (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 and 207 together. My Department is now accommodating over 74,000 refugees and applicants for International Protection in State-funded accommodation. The information requested regarding County Roscommon and Ballaghadreen has been extracted from our systems and outlined in tabular form below. Beneficiary of Temporary Protection (BOTP) Accommodation ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Policies (9 Feb 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Last year, my Department published a Blueprint for the next National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, which set out the approach we are taking to developing the Framework, and the aims it will set out to achieve. The new policy framework will address all children and young people aged 0-24, covering the period 2023 to 2028. It will focus on realising children's rights,...